The Mansfield

12 W. 44th St., between 5th and 6th Aves, New York, New York 10036, USA
Brendan Church | Unsplash

Why We Like It

The Mansfield Hotel feels like history. While certainly not for the contemporary traveler who favors sleek lines, the Mansfield makes a case that the past can live in the present. It’s not hard to see why the Mansfield earned its place in culture—but luxurious and glamorous it is not and never has been. But amid its memory of a then-modernizing New York is a reminder of Midtown’s evolution and that what once was is still special.

Fodor's Expert Review

A vestige of Round Table-era decadence in the heart of Club Row (44th street), the Mansfield Hotel occupies a place in history—where it still sits currently—though these dark, heavy chambers have a film noir je-ne-sais-quoi and an undeniable New York mood. One half expects to find the Great Gatsby shuffling down the cast-iron Art Deco staircase (as Max von Gerlach, or Jay Gatsby’s inspiration did take residence in the Mansfield).


Recommended Fodor’s Video

Room

The truth is, these rooms are quite dark. New management has addressed the issue by adding ample additional lighting, making for reading, grooming, or whatnot a satisfactory experience. However, the James Renwick-designed 1903 building is set with espresso-stained wood floors and paneled windows (with Venetian blinds, no less). It’s moody and filled with ambience—and the clubby library chairs and banker’s desk lamps add additional oomph. The standard rooms are generous, even if the closets are not, but all said, at the rates they’re being offered, it’s well worth the trip down memory lane.

Bathroom

In keeping with its historic nature—in fact, the building was founded as gentlemen’s quarters and one original patron remains as a full-time resident—the bathrooms are more a water-closet. Sinks stand outside the toilet and shower, housed behind “yacht doors” (i.e. think small and narrow).

Lobby

Cast iron elevators and marble staircases flanking a bronze-relief welcome desk, the Mansfield Hotel’s lobby echoes the grandeur of the James Renwick-designed Beaux Arts facade. Off to the side is a recently renovated Library with a sliding ladder and velvet-upholstered telephone room.


Gym

Sparse but satisfactory, the Mansfield’s gym has all the basics and space for yoga/stretching/mat work. Nothing over the top, but certainly a machine or weights for most people’s workouts.

Dining

MBar serves as the hotel’s de facto restaurant as well as room service, which is only dinner service from 5-11pm. MBar also hosts the hotel’s basic continental breakfast.


Drinking

Well established in the area for its classic cocktail ambiance and live Jazz trios, MBar draws crowds on weeknights not just during happy house. Mahogany walls with a domed-glass vaulted ceiling, stained glass bar and massive bookshelves, MBar has a clubhouse feel befitting Club Row.

What's Nearby

Getting Around

Wedged between Times Square and Grand Central Station, the hotel is easily accessible by all Subway lines, as well as Metro North (at Grand Central).

Restaurants

The recently opened and much-buzzed about Sen Sakana (30 seconds-walk) is the city’s $7 million outpost of Nikkei cuisine—that’s Japanese-Peruvian to you. It’s quite a dining experience, and not just for the ceviche, but the modernist Zen interior, too. For the more casual Daniel Boulud admirer, there is Bistro Moderne (1-minute walk) that offers the French chef’s master palette in a stylish but not stuffy setting.

Bars

Drinking and Midtown are great friends--every other storefront is a bar. However, amid the Irish pubs and $26 martini joints, is Lantern’s Keep (1-minute walk), one of New York’s most authentic speakeasies. Over on 46th street is Birdland (6-min walk), the legendary jazz club still books the bests names in the bee-bop-blues.

Quick Facts

HOTEL INFO

Phones: 212-277–8700;800-255–5167